Chapter 287
Chapter 287
VTIC’s teaser began with the sound of an ominous siren and an antique clawfoot bathtub.
Wiiiiiiiiing—
‘Hmm?’
The office worker watching the teaser briefly wondered at the mismatched combination.
The siren wail slowly faded, replaced by the sound of water droplets falling into the tub.
Plink—.
Plink—.
The screen showed white marble tiles where only a black bathtub existed.
The moment the siren vanished and only the dripping remained.
Click.
Images flashed by.
A red candle, a finger pressed to lips in a sign for silence, an old book, a viral structure, a drop of blood, an ominous sigil.
Plink—.
And finally… a man’s foot stepping into the bathtub.
The sense of speed and symbolism was immense.
Just as the silence and the black screen following those flashback-like cuts seemed to offer a moment to breathe.
The elegant, smooth sound of strings filled the screen.
[Woo~ Woo-woo-woo Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo]
An a cappella humming.
Simultaneously, the screen lit up.
It was the same shot of the bathtub from before, but…
“…!”
The bathtub was now half-shattered, suspended in mid-air. A massive form gripped the body of the tub as if crushing it, hoisting it upward.
It was the eight tentacles of a powerfully sculpted, dark-green cephalopod.
The camera peered into the precarious bathtub.
Inside, a figure lay submerged in water up to his neck.
It was the silver-haired Cheong-ryeo. Perhaps due to the lighting, the reflections on his hair looked green.
‘Did he dye it?’
Before the viewer could process the thought, Cheong-ryeo opened his eyes.
[The things you cannot understand
You may leave behind and forget
In this moment where understanding is required]
A minor-key melody softly enveloped the screen as light poured down from the broken ceiling onto the bathtub.
The light spilled over Cheong-ryeo’s languid face.
‘Look at that face.’
Just as the office worker felt a reflexive sense of awe at the almost moving shot.
Cuts of the other three members gradually flowed onto the screen.
[Woo~ Woo-woo-woo Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo]
Chae-yul with a finger to his lips in front of a massive stained-glass window; Shin-o holding a candle in a dark hallway; and Ju-dan pulling a black robe over his head in a forest.
Then, the screen returned to Cheong-ryeo submerged in the bathtub.
The final verse ended with an elegant shot of him leaning back until his head was underwater and a whispered bass note.
[Blow out the candle right]
Flash.
The empty bathtub fell alone from the void.
“…!”
The cephalopod limbs that had been constricting and supporting it were gone without a trace. Just before it shattered against the floor.
The screen froze at that exact moment.
Ominous black letters were engraved over it.
[He got a Permission to Explore my Land]
The sentence rearranged itself, using only the capital initials to form the title.
[H. E. L. P.]
And the moment the last letter flipped.
[H. E. L. L.]
The sound of the bathtub smashing echoed against the black screen.
“…….”
The video ended.
“Ah.”
The office worker almost reacted out loud but consciously stopped herself.
However, her brain already knew. Looking at the real-time reactions being updated, there was no way not to know.
VTIC had come back with an insane title track, picking out exactly the kind of concept their fans would go wild for.
They had even added a chilling horror vibe that was perfect for summer.
“…They’re going to make a killing.”
The office worker felt a moment of disillusionment while calculating the potential profits.
Then, she wanted to ask the idols she followed.
While hoping they wouldn't release a slump album that would break their upward momentum.
‘Why on earth did you guys bring a season song at a time like this?’
“…….”
I scrolled through social media.
These were the reactions to the VTIC teaser.
I could see that it wasn't just fans spamming positive comments for the sake of public opinion; they were genuinely thrilled and running with it.
“Hmm.”
The song was definitely well-made.
Even at a glance, I could tell they had refined the horror concept to the limit, layering it deeply so it didn't look cheap.
‘It seems they’ve even made it look like a grand finale for those who listened to the previous album.’
They utilized the advantages of a repackage to the fullest.
Thanks to this song, the concept of the previous album was completely flipped, giving room for new interpretations.
They called it a 20th-century cosmic horror concept, and the fact that it wasn't a one-dimensional ghost story seemed to have worked well.
The moment Teaser 2, which focused on the choreography, was released, public opinion caught another upward breeze.
‘It’s sophisticated.’
It satisfied almost every point of demand the public would expect from a top-tier idol.
The camera work in the right places, the intense formations using dancers, the group dance, and costumes that weren't overly experimental.
I could see the public appeal neutralizing the extremely conceptual first teaser.
‘I thought the vocals might be weak.’
But they had handled that well too, keeping the range comfortable and easy to listen to. They didn't gain their experience for nothing.
To summarize… it was an activity that would have fans clapping and cheering.
‘No flukes here, I see.’
I chuckled. It was something I had guessed from the moment I saw Cheong-ryeo with dyed hair.
I had wondered if they might lose their touch by going too far, but instead, becoming less cautious made the song more interesting.
‘Hmm.’
“Moondae-ya, stop looking at that~ We’re busy enough looking at our own stuff~”
“Okay.”
I obediently turned my smartphone screen away at the warning.
“Good!”
Staring at the stuff of the guys debuting at the same time wouldn't change anything; it would only make things complicated for no reason.
But honestly, I wasn't that anxious.
‘They don’t overlap.’
The part I had been most wary of as a latecomer had been resolved.
The concept genre they were aiming for felt completely different from ours.
However, it seemed there was someone who had thought about this in great detail.
After the day’s schedule ended, Bae Se-jin brought it up.
“Um, is this really okay?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m talking about our teaser. The vibe is a bit….”
“Ah.”
If we were just looking at the teaser… I knew what he was trying to say. I nodded.
“I think it’ll be fine.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Yes. If anything, it’ll be a benefit. Whatever the reaction, it’s all buzz in the end.”
If public opinion was going to flip anyway, this was just the build-up to make the payoff bigger.
And a few days later, two days before our first teaser, VTIC’s music video was released.
VTIC’s music video was a masterpiece that maximized the teaser’s vibe while mixing in a slightly more sorrowful and sexy feel.
The ominous occult elements paid homage to the glamorous and relaxed Broadway scenes of their previous album, creating spine-chilling cuts that heightened the tension.
Above all, it was magnificent, without any childish parts or moments that broke the immersion.
A flood of reaction videos, rave reviews, and fan satisfaction followed.
Even the initial reactions that the song was "tiringly flashy" or "difficult" flipped over time. This was because the digital track had great longevity.
Good results had the power to make negative opinions wary.
With a title track that was quintessentially VTIC—not just meeting expectations but exceeding them—their fans became even more hostile toward the news of TeSTAR’s comeback.
If they hadn't announced their activities so close together, they could have enjoyed VTIC’s promotions without any worries.
However, the general public found it entertaining.
A clash of the titans among top-tier boy groups!
No matter who won, comparing and evaluating them with a "VS" tag was just too much fun.
Some quick-witted agencies even rushed the comebacks of idols who lacked recognition. The highest music broadcast ratings of the year would surely be during this time.
And when TeSTAR’s teaser finally came out, even people who would normally skip teasers clicked on it.
Because they wanted to compare them to VTIC!
However, at this point, people had already given the victory to VTIC by default, so they clicked the video with a more critical mindset.
Click!
[TeSTAR ‘Promise’ Official Concept Teaser]
And indeed, lukewarm reactions began to flow.
The video was a short exploration from a first-person perspective, swimming through the deep sea toward the surface.
A slow bass and a string accompaniment without the main melody echoed.
Since the video was dark and set against a calm, deep background music… it strangely looked similar to VTIC’s teaser.
After a short while, social media and communities were covered in blatant criticism.
It seemed to be in the same vein as VTIC, but it wasn't as impressive.
People felt like pouring out harsher evaluations and mockery.
The evaluations were cruel enough to freeze the fans. There were certainly VTIC fans mixed in who were doing it on purpose, but regardless, the general consensus was clear.
Anonymous accounts were running wild, excitedly saying things like "TeSTAR is already ruined," but the majority of fans silently waited for the next piece of content.
It was because of the trust they had built up over time.
If nothing else, the quality of TeSTAR’s albums had never been poor!
And a week later.
TeSTAR’s real music video was released.
However, people’s expectations were completely subverted.
The thumbnail for TeSTAR’s music video was a beautiful white sand beach with blue waves crashing. It was a quintessential, bright summer season song.
It was a teaser fraud!
No, at this moment, everyone thought it was a teaser fraud.
People clicked on the video, feeling somewhat bewildered.